Institute for Biblical & Scientific Studies

Other Views:
Gary Ezzo

Gary Ezzo graduated from Talbot Theological Seminary and was on the staff
of John MacArthur's Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California for
10 years. It is during this time that he developed parenting curriculums
for the church. He then started his own separate ministry called Growing
Families International (GFI). He became the full time executive director
of GIF in 1993. He travels around the country giving seminars on how to
raise your child.

Gary Ezzo, along with Robert Bucknam, is the author of the very popular,
yet controversial book On Becoming Babywise. He promises that your
baby will sleep through the night by the time he is eight weeks old if you
strictly follow his guidelines. One must follow a strict feeding schedule.
If the baby cries you must not pick the baby up. Let the baby cry just as
God let Jesus cry on the cross, and did not help him. Waite until the proper
feeding time to pick up the baby and feed him. Many doctors and nurses are
upset at this advice. It has led to babies who have lost weight and have
become dehydrated. This is also psychologically bad for the baby. When a
baby cries, follow your natural instinct, pick the baby up and feed him.

Ezzo advises to teach your little baby sign language so the baby can tell
you what is wrong instead of crying. This seems ridiculous to me. How is
a baby going to learn complex sign language when can not even speak, and
their motor skills are very limited. He claims everything is based on Bible
verses. That is his twisted interpretation of Bible verses.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a media alert about
the Ezzo approach to parenting called "Parent Directed Feeding"
(PDF). Grace Community Church no long recommends Ezzo's teaching materials.